Concrete Counter Tops

[f350ca]

Moved the sawmill frame into the soon to be blacksmith shop and blocked it level. Assembled the grinder frame, it mostly bolts together, was afraid to weld too much of the assembly in case it warped. Bolting it together also allows for disassembly for storage in case I do more of these.
It rolls free and stays square with no binding.
Now to wire it up and see how it goes.
No warm weather in the forecast, knew if i waited long enough i could make this a miserable task.

 

[f350ca]

Finished up the grinder. Mounted the 2 hp motor and wired it up. Seems to work quite well.


Tried running it dry, but the dust was too bad even outside.
Quality control after inspection isn't happy with the surface though.


Not sure why but the coloured cement on the surface layer is porous and as a result some of the marble chips are pulling out. May be able to squeegee a thin layer of portland slurry over the surface after grinding to seal it. Polishing will bring the stone back to the surface.
Was getting dark when I finished so no photos of the surface.

Greg

 

[xalky]

With that apparatus, you can go into the concrete countertop business. Nice German Shepard, I gotta get me one. I had a Shepard when i was a kid, he was smarter than a lot of people i know..lol.

Marcel

 

[f350ca]

Once in a while they're fun to make, but sure wouldn't want to do them full time.
She's quite a character, by far the smartest dog I've owned. Rides on the tractor, atv and snowmobile, if it moves and I'm on it she thinks she needs to be too.
Greg

 

[xalky]

Mine would run right next to the snowmobiles. I clocked him at 40 mph before he fell behind. I lived in Quebec Canada for 3 yrs when I was 8-11 yrs old. In a lot of ways, it was the best time of my life. The Shepard was with us then. I used to drive the farm tractors and snowmobiles at that young age. Our folks would just let us take off for the afternoons on the snowmobiles. In those days, 4-6ft of snow cover in the winter was normal. Good Times.) In a lot of ways that time molded me to be the guy I am today. I could be perfectly happy living out in the country growing my own food and and hunting for my meat. I'm a little misty eyed just thinking about it.

Marcel

 

[f350ca]

Have the counters rough ground. Need to do some filling on the surface and start polishing.



Greg

 

[f350ca]

Been playing catch up on outdoor projects while the weather is still tolerable,
Worked a layer of portland and water into the surface to fill the voids and porous nature of the cement.
Have two pieces sitting on a wet bench I built to catch the spray from the polisher.



The first go at levelling them with 50 grit pads, looks like they'll be alright. Couple of areas that need a little more filling,

 

[xalky]

That's looking really good. It's probably a lot more work than you anticipated though , huh ? hew:

Marcel

 

[f350ca]

More work than I remembered but its coming back to me now.
Will be nice to get the shop space back, other projects are piling up.

Greg

 

[f350ca]

Looks like I'm finally getting my shop space back. Counter tops loaded, to be installed tomorrow.